Deni Applegate and the Follower's End
by AJ Edwins
Summary: An American Wizardry Story, see inside for full summary.
1. Introductions

**A/N: **I changed my mind about the concurrent timeline thing.

"Oh my goodness, Deni. You look adorable!" Bea clapped her hands. "Look Brad, my little girl all grown up. Now she's going to boarding school. Oh, sweetie!" She threw her arms around Deni with a squeal.

"Mama, come on!" Deni pushed her mother away, tugged on the navy blue dress and pulled on the shirt's collar. "I feel funny enough without you messin' with me! I don't even wanna go to this witches' school. Something just doesn't feel right." She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Den," Brad said gently. "Please, you can't keep thinking that new things are bad. Being a wizard isn't a bad thing." He put a hand on her shoulder. "You should consider it an honor."

"An honor? Dad," Deni whined. "I'm a freak." She grabbed her bag and headed for the stairs. "Please, don't make me go."

Bea took the bag. "Deni, baby, this is your chance to be special. To do something we couldn't do. You can be somebody."

"I am somebody. I'm going to be an Olympic gymnast."

Brad squatted in front of her. "Den, you'll do great." The doorbell rang. "I'll get it." He went into the hallway. "Good morning! Be there in a second!" The door opened. "Oh, hello, Miss Dowling."

"Hello, Mr. Chi. I'm here for Deniella."

Deni groaned. There was something about the woman Deni didn't like. The young girl couldn't put her finger on the problem.

"Deni," Bea whispered, giving her one last hug. "Go ahead." She handed her daughter a suitcase. "See you at Christmas."

"I'm as uncomfortable with this as you are, Applegate. I'm not a big fan of Mudbloods," Miss Dowling said. "If I had my way, you're powers would be bound and you'd be a non-magical student at your local middle school. Unfortunately, that is not my decision. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Deni replied, looking the woman in the eye. She knew what her funny feeling came from. This Dowling woman had a prejudice. Deni had no idea what 'Mudbloods' were, but it didn't sound positive.

"At least you're polite," she grumbled, pushing Deni toward a van. "Don't get comfortable. We've got another pick up in Seattle."

_Seattle? _Deni thought. _That's three hours away. Why shouldn't I be comfortable?_

"What's your name?" a girl said, reaching down to help Deni into the black vehicle.

"Deniella." She stepped up and pulled her bag in after her. She had some reservations about saying her old last name, but after a heartbeat, she finished. "Applegate."

"Cristen Malloy. You can call me Cris." She looked past Deni, onto the street. "What's the name of this place? I haven't seen anything like it."

"Cashmere. It's supposed to look like the Old West. Even has a little Pioneer Village Museum thing. It's kind of boring."

"Oh."

In the silence after the girl's syllable, Deni took the time to look at the girl beside her. Her hair was smooth and so blonde, it was almost white. She was wearing it in a low pony tail and and had a head band the color of the uniform separating her bangs from the smooth pony.

Deni looked out the window, expecting to see the familiar town of Leavenworth. To her surprise, it wasn't there. In fact, it didn't even look like they were on Highway 2. "Huh?"

Cris leaned across her to look out the window. "Haven't you been on the Magelane before?"

_Magelane?_ Deni thought. _What does that mean? _Instead of questioning her seat mate, she just shook her head.

"It's okay. I guess when you're only Wizard family in a town, you have to be careful. I had no idea James Applegate lived in a Muggle Community."

"James?" Deni questioned, "I don't know anybody named James. My twin's name is Johnny, but nobody in Mama's family has the name James."

"You're kidding. The Applegates have been in American since the Revolution." Cris gasped. Then she looked at Deni's face. "You're not kidding."

Deni shook her head. "I'm not from a Wizard family."

"I've never met a first generation wizard." Cris put her legs up on the seat and turned to face Deni. "What's it like?" She crossed her legs.

"It's normal." Deni really didn't see the purpose behind the other girl's question. "It can't be too different, can it? I mean, sixth grade is sixth grade."

"Girl, you have a lot to learn."

So they spent the trip talking about the wizarding world and the non-magical one.

"A lot of people call the society you come from 'Muggle'," an older girl said from behind us. "But don't use it at school. It's not nice."

The van driver, who Deni couldn't see, called back, "Gretchen, please. I know you're telling the new students the rules, but they'll hear them when we get to school this evening."

"Yes, Miss Gregor." The girl sat back.

"And you two face forward and buckle your seat belts. We're picking up three students in less than five minutes. We're getting back in the mortal lane."

Deni did as she was told with a quick, "Yes, ma'am."

Cristen Malloy was staring at the girls as if she was surprised, but followed suit without a word. There was a slight bump as the dumped onto a side street.

As if by magic, the van door slid open. Three short redheads stood on the curb. They all looked the same to Deni. As if to answer her thoughts, Cris leaned over, "The Garden Triplets. They're in our year might be in our dorm."

Dowling looked over her shoulder. "Ginger, Thyme, and Rosemary. We have them all, Penny. Let's get going."

Deni almost laughed at the absurdity of the names that rolled off Dowling's tongue, but Cris elbowed her in the side. "Oof."

With another dump, they were back on the Magelane. The triplets were the only students in the van that weren't wearing their uniforms. The one next to Deni reached over to shake her hand. "I'm Thyme Bridget Garden."

"Deniella Allyson Applegate."

"Applegate? As in _James _Applegate? The Quidditch player? Are you like his sister or something?"

The girl on the far side leaned over her sister, "Oh, come on, Thyme. The Otters aren't a very good team and Keeper isn't an important position. She's probably just a cousin."

Thyme looked as if she was about retort, but the driver turned back to them. "Ladies, I believe Miss Dowling wants to say something."

The other woman's voice was directed at Deni, Cris and the Garden girls, but her words probably applied to the entire van. "SIT STILL AND SHUT UP OR ALL OF YOU WILL FIND YOURSELVES IN MISS MISSION'S OFFICE TOMORROW MORNING! BELIEVE ME, IT WON'T BE THE FIRST TIME I'VE SENT OVER A THIRD OF THE STUDENT BODY TO DETENTION! IS THAT CLEAR?"Nobody replied. "I SAID 'IS THAT CLEAR'?"

"YES, MA'AM!"

Deni seriously wondered how small the student body was. A third of it would fit in a standard-sized van and assuming that everyone was five to a row, and there were four rows, there were 20 students in here, that's means there were about 60 students at Northland Girl's School. That seemed way too small.

After an uncomfortable half hour, the door opened and the students piled out. Deni was surprised at how many kids fit in the van. She counted 50. She wanted to question someone, but decided against it. It would just make her seem stupid.

Miss Dowling came over to her and handed her a small purse. "You're other supplies are all ready at the school. This is just for a wand, understood? It's the exact amount ended for a basic wand."

"Yes, ma'am." Deni took it slowly.

Cris grabbed her sleeve and tried to pull Deni toward a store, "Come on, Deniella. I'm not shopping alone!"

"Wait, Cristen," Deni said, struggling to get a breath. "Where are we?"

It appeared to be an old fashioned strip mall, a line of shops with names that Deni couldn't make sense off. _Odd Family's Herbs, Creature Parts, and Cauldrons_, _Ulysses Black's New World Familiar and Unusual Creature Emporium, Kit and Daughters Mage Wear Unlimited, Owl Post Center, Ardent Books._

"Phoenix Square, duh! Hurry up!" She was pulling Deni toward a store with a Grand Opening Sign in the window. "_Wizarding Wheeze Imports_ is opening a new branch! I bet George Weasley is there! He's a magical prank genius!"

Deni followed her classmate through the crowd. "Cristen, please. Let me breathe!" She hit someone. "Oops, sorry," she whispered. "Will you please excuse me?" She tried to move past the blockage, looking for Cristen.

A hand grasped her shoulder. The boy was wearing a green sweater vest over a white shirt and khaki shorts. She assumed it was another school's uniform because she saw the letters CRA on his breast, not unlike the letters NGS on hers. He looked like he was only a few years older than she was, but the look on his face told her he did not want to engage in casual conversation. "Excuse me," she repeated, louder.

"No," the boy replied. "I don't accept apologizes from Northland _witches_." His voice had a faint sarcastic tone to it. "Unless they're willing to transfer to Conway Ridge."

"What?" _Conway Ridge? _"I'm not sure what you mean."

He laughed emotionlessly. "What's you're name, _witch_?"

"Deniella Chi." She tried to act like nothing was wrong. "Yours?"

The question startled him slightly. He blinked and let go. "My name? Salem's grace! Why would I tell you my name?"

"I believe it's called 'a fair exchange of information'," a voice replied from behind them.

He was tall and looked like he'd been beaten up. It looked like he was wearing an eye patch over his ear, but it was mostly covered by a mass of ginger-colored hair. "You're—" The boy was so confused; he couldn't get whatever he was thinking out.

"British?" Deni offered. "We're okay, sir. Sorry to disrupt you."

He shrugged and walked back into the crowd.

Cristen saw the boy before she saw Deni. "You."

"Hello, Cristen Ma—"

"Say my last name, and you'll regret it, Paramount Lynberg." Cristen clenched her fists.

Paramount Lynberg snorted. "What are you going to do to me, Cristen? You're a sixth grader. I'm in seventh. The only spells you know are simple children's rhymes. What good would those do in a duel? I suggest you and—what was your name again?"

"Deniella." Deni replied. "Come on, Cris. Let's get outta here. Dowling all ready threatened to give everybody detention and I still need a wand." She tried to pull her classmate out of the store. "Fine! I give up!" She elbowed her way out of the store.

Phoenix Square turned out to be more than just a wizarding strip mall. It was an entire town, but Deni could not a wand shop anywhere. She saw a deli, bakery, and apartment complex, a small bus from some place called Diamondback Day School, several homes, and even a tattoo shop.

After twenty minutes of taking in the town, Deni was lost. She decided it was time to knock on a door and politely ask which direction she needed to go. She knocked at one at random.

A portly woman answered the door. "Oh, hello, deary. Are you lost?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm trying to find a place to buy a wand. Could you point me in the right direction?"

The woman looked her up and down and her smile widened. "Well, ya came to right place. Please, come in."

Deni raised an eyebrow. "Really, ma'am. I'm not sure I should. Mom told me I should never ever go in a stranger's house."

"Your ma must be one smart cookie, Missy."

"My name isn't Missy, ma'am" Deni corrected gently, "It's Deni and my mom isn't a cookie, she's some thing called a Muggle."

The woman chuckled, "Well, Deni, I think I have just the wand. Be right back." She went inside.

The woman came out with a wooden box. "This was the last wand my husband carved before he died. Alder, powdered dragon scale, seven and three quarters inches." She opened it.

Deni stared at the wand. It was sitting in green velvet. She picked it up and it sparked green. "Whoa," she jumped back.

"You got yourself a mighty good sign." The woman pointed up the street. "To get back to your friends, turn left on Potter, then right on Main."

Deni nodded and went the direction the woman indicated. Then she turned back. "I forgot to pay you!"

"Me treat, deary. Go buy yourself a cookie. Widow Holler makes a mean seven-flavor-chunk."

"There you are!"

Deni let out a breath. "Yeah, sorry. Got lost."

Cris smiled. "It's okay. I'm sure this is pretty overwhelming. Come on!" The girl started pulling Deni toward another store. This one was called _Ulysses Black's New World Familiar and Unusual Creature Emporium._ "I need to get an owl."

"Unusual Creature?" Deni's voice cracked. "That doesn't imply dangerous, does it?"

"I'm not sure what 'imply' means, but Mrs. Black doesn't sell anything dangerous. Mr. Black died three years ago when someone sold him a beagle that was charmed to fart fire. His heart stopped. It was unfortunate, but she can't stand the idea of selling—or killing—the poor dear. He's actually kind of cute."

_Fire-farting beagle, _Deni thought. _This day couldn't get any stranger._

The store was packed with animals. Most of them were birds of prey, but Deni saw some cats, rats, and other rodents. The 'unusual' turned out to be a jewel-encrusted tortoise, a bunny that turned into a top hat, and Sire, the infamous fire-farting beagle. Cris walked over to the bird section.

One of the Garden triplets was looking at snakes, when she let out a scream. "THERE IS SOMETHING ON MY HEAD!"

Deni ran to the girl. Indeed, a small pure-white squirrel with a stub for a tail, was sitting in her hair, chattering. "Aw," Deni said. "It's cute."

"NO, IT'S NOT! GET IT OFF!" the Garden girl screamed again, her arms failing around. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

Deni gingerly picked the creature, being careful of its teeth. "You got a name, cutie?" she asked it.

The squirrel stopped chattering, jumped on her shoulder and looked at her, holding its head sideways. The look on its face said _I-don't-know-do-I?_

"Usually, the owner names their familiar," the teenage girl at the counter said. "But I call that little guy Blake."

Blake the squirrel started to chatter again and crawled closer to Deni's face. It jumped onto her head, and curled into a ball, content.

"I think he likes you," the girl said. "Mom would be so happy if I could get rid of him. He likes to torment the beagle."

Deni picked up the creature and set it on one of tables. "I don't have any money, sorry." She did have her wand money her pocket, but didn't feel right spending it.

The girl's smile widened. "We didn't buy him, he just showed up. Technically, he can come and go as he pleases. If you want him, he's yours. Mom wouldn't know any better." She pushed a small wire cage across the counter. "I'm not sure what he eats, other than toffee and those weird Muggle candies that are supposed to be chocolate but look like rabbit dung."

"Tootsie rolls?" Deni took the cage. "Okay, that's an interesting diet, but the ones in my neighborhood eat acorns." She opened it and put back on the counter. "Come on, Blake." She lifted the rodent off her head and tried to put him in the cage.

Blake's chattering increased in protest. He jumped back on Deni's head.

She picked him up again, and put him on the counter. "Get in, mister," she ordered in her firmest tone. The squirrel stopped chattering and looked up at Deni. She pointed at the cage. "I mean it!"

Shamefully, the little animal crawled into the cage. Deni closed the door and picked up it up, heading for the exit.

"Remind me to not get on your bad side, Deniella," Cris said, coming up behind, empty handed. "I couldn't find one I like. Maybe my folks will get me one for Christmas, or Easter."

They had walked back onto the street.

"Wizards celebrate Easter?" Deni asked, skeptical.

The blonde nodded. "Of course."

"I just thought it was a—you know—" Deni paused. "A Christian thing."

"A surprisingly large amount of wizards are 'Christian'. Some even believe Jesus Christ was a wizard."

"I thought he was the son of a god or something like that."

"They think he was very delusional, but still a very powerful wizard. Some even argue that he was the greatest wizard ever. Even more powerful than Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter? Who's Harry Potter?"

"Only one of most amazing wizards—and Quidditch Seekers—ever!" The girl took a deep breath:

"_His eyes are as green as a fresh-pickled toad_

_His hair is as dark as a chalk board_

_He's so divine; I wish he was mine!_

_The hero who conquered the Dark Lord_

"His wife wrote that when they were in school. It's kind of become his cheer. He plays for England."

_Great, more I don't know,_ Deni thought. "What's Quidditch and who's the Dark Lord?"

Someone snorted behind them. "Cristen, your friend is stupider than a Squib. Must be a Mudblood."

Cris turned, pulling her wand out, "Dare you to say that again, Lynberg!"

Paramount Lynberg started laughing. "Like I said earlier, 'what can you do to me?'" He looked at Deni. "You are a Mudblood," he said, slowly. "Do you know what that means?"

Deni pulled out her own wand. "Something very very bad."

"Very good, but you're holding your wand wrong. How do you expect to score anything higher than an Unpleasant on your Practical AWE?" He pulled out his own. "See? You hold it like this. In your right hand."

"Does it matter if she's left-handed?" Cris demanded.

"Of course it matters. Many of the testers are biased."

"They shouldn't be," Deni said, in a matter-of-fact tone. "When they grade the WASL, they don't who you are until they're done."

"What's the WASL?"

"Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Duh. You have to take it in the fourth grade, seventh, and tenth grades. You take the Science in eighth. There's also an Idaho and an Iowa one. One of them's the ISAT, but I don't know which one. Then, there is the SAT and the ACT, for when you wanna go to college. I think the other states have them but I don't know the acronyms. What does AWE stand for?"

"You know the meaning of the word acronym?" Lynberg questioned. "What kind of Mudblood are you?"

"Stop calling her that!" Cris yelled, clenching her fist.

"Are you going to fight me Muggle-style?" Lynberg taunted. "I'd like to see you try!"

The girl launched herself at Lynberg with a growl. Deni flinched slightly, dropping Blake's cage with a bang. The squirrel started to chatter in anger. Deni squatted to pick up the cage.

"What in the name of Albus Dumbledore is going on here?"

Lynberg and Cris stopped fighting immediately, their wands drawn. Deni straightened, fumbling with the cage. "Principal Fenderson!" Lynberg yelped in surprise.

A tall bald man glared at the three children. He crossed his arms over his chest, wand loosely gripped in his right hand. "Well, I'm waiting for my explanation, children."

Cris pointed her wand at Lynberg accusingly. "He called Deniella the M-word!"

The man turned to Deni. "Is that true, young lady?"

Deni nodded, arms wrapped protectively Blake's cage. "I think so, sir." She told herself to remember that 'Mudblood' was either a curse word or a pretty ugly insult and not to use it.

"Well then," the man said. "Wands, all of you. Come on, hand them over."

"Yes, sir," she mumbled. Deni passed hers to him, slowly, and Lynberg, red faced, followed suit. She didn't want to, but she also didn't know any spells. It wasn't like she could do any good with it.

"We don't even go to Conway Ridge!" Cris protested, jamming her own wand into her pocket. "You can't punish us!"

"Have you read the MEA, young lady?" The man inquired. "Your wand." He held out his other hand.

"Northland isn't funded by the government," Cris retorted.

"What grade are you entering?"

"Sixth," Deni replied, quickly. The small brunette shuffled nervously. "Sir."

"National enrollment," the principal continued. "Doesn't start tomorrow. Technically, I have more say in your education right now than Northland's headmistress does. If I wanted to, I could demand that you be enrolled at Conway Ridge for the purpose of punishment."

"Just give him your wand," Deni whispered. "You'll get us in even more trouble. I don't think my scholarship would transfer with me."

"Your friend is right, young lady. Give me your wand right now, and you might still be able to go to Northland Girls' School."

Cris glared at him, fury burning in her eyes, but handed her wand over. She mumbled something under breath.

"Could you repeat that, young lady?" the teacher prompted. "I don't believe your articulation was correct."

Cris smirked. "I," she said, confidently. "Can see my reflection in your shiny bald head." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Sir."

Deni gasped and Lynberg hid a chuckle behind his hand.

"You can, can you?" He turned to the student from his school. "Lynberg, report to your grade's superior." His face showed no emotion, but he handed the boy his wand. "Give him your wand when you get there, young man."

The boy nodded once and left, walking at a brisk pace. He looked pale and shocked.

Deni's eyes went wide. "Oh great." She was mentally hitting herself. "We are in so much trouble."

Principal Fenderson forcibly led the girls to Northland's black van. Gregor was leaning against it. "Hello, Miss Gregor. A word?"

"Mr. Fenderson," the woman replied, sarcastically. "How nice to see you again. Mind telling me why you are gracing two of my sixth graders with your presence?"

"I am considering taking educational custody of these two young _ladies_. This one," he said, gesturing to Cris. "For fist-fighting and disrespect. And this one." He gestured to Deni. "Guilty by association. I need their names."

"Northland is a privately-funded institution, Mr. Fenderson," Gregor replied. "One of the students in your grasp is attending on a full scholarship. She will not be able to attend Conway Ridge unless you offer her the financial means."

"I was made aware of the fact, but the head of enrollment at Diamondback Day is also here today. It is a cost-free institution. If my superiors do not approve, he could take custody of her."

"You would have to contact her parents. They are under the impression that she is attending a boarding school."

"Simple enough. Her enrollment maybe delayed by a few days, but she will catch-up."

"They are mortals. Those with non-magical parents have a difficult time attending day schools. In fact, both the MEA and the Blood-Line Anti-Discrimination Law discourage it. Northland would not hesitate to take you to the AW. Or would you rather be court marshaled by the Mage Corps, Lieutenant Corporal?"

All the acronyms were confusing Deni, but the argument was getting heated. She opened her mouth and then closed it. It was better to keep quiet.

"I retired three years ago."

"It hasn't been five years yet, you could easily be reinstated."

"Why are you not working for the Legal Sector, Gregor?"

"Because my talents are put to better use at Northland. Last year, Salem Witches' Institute tried some thing similar, and those students did nothing wrong."

"I have friends in the Education Sector. I could easily have Northland shut down."

"Under what pretenses?"

"Ghost infestation. Poor elf treatment. Low standardized test scores. Purposeful Squib enrollment. Any number of things can be written on paper. The Wizard Senate wouldn't bat an eyelash at an excuse to close down an up-start radical institution."

"Women's equality is not a radical position. Non-magical women have had the ability to hold political offices for years now. If I remember correctly, one got extremely close to the highest office this past election." Gregor's voice remained eerily calm. "Don't you think our young ladies deserve a chance?"

"Muggles are primitive creatures, Gregor."

"They maybe far more advanced in the social/political realm than we are, Fenderson."

"It's the Wizard Senate, Gregor, not the Wizard and Witch Senate."

"You know my standing on the word 'witch', Fenderson."

"You know my standing on enrolling students whose ancestors are on the Follower's End under forged names."

Cris gasped and threw her hand over her mouth. She mumbled a quick apology.

Deni had been following the conversation like a tennis match looking from one person to the other, but her eyes fell on Cris. "Yes my dear. It does happen." Fenderson's face was suddenly soft. "It's despicable, isn't it?"

Gregor tapped her foot impatiently. "This debate is getting us no where, Archibald. I will see to it that these two are punished accordingly. If they prove to be chronic troublemakers, they will be transferred to your educational custody come next term."

"Are you willing to swear it, Penny?"

The woman pulled out her wand and held it over her heart. "Mage's Honor."

"I will still need their full names, so I can get access to their files." He let go of the girls, regretfully.

"Girls, tell Mr. Fenderson your names." Gregor ordered.

"Cristen Josephine Malloy."

Deni took deep breath and loosened her grip on Blake's cage. "Deniella Allyson Applegate."

"Applegate, you say?" Fenderson's surprise seemed genuine.

"Yes, sir." Deni confirmed. "Mother's maiden name."

"I am going to need your father's name to see your file, Miss Applegate."

"I don't my father's name sir. I'm not sure my mother even knows."

"What is your mother's name, Miss Applegate?"

"Bea Marie Chi. She's married now."

"And your stepfather's name?"

"I just call him Brad."

Fenderson sighed and started to walk off. "I'll work with what I have, then, Miss Applegate. And you, Miss Malloy, one toe out of line and you're mine."

"Yes, sir," Cris replied in an unenthused tone.

Gregor opened the van door. "Get in girls. I think you've had enough trauma for one day."

"What's all that acronym and sector stuff about?" Deni asked Cris while they waited for their classmates.

"MEA stands for Magical Education Act. I forgot what AW stands for. American Wiga-something. It's a court. There are seven sectors. Education, Healthcare, Legal, Justice, Immigration, International Relations, and Non-Magical Discovery Prevention. There are under sectors too. The Aurors. The Quidditch Authority. The Currency Unit. The Mage Corp. Mother heads the Artifact Subsector of the Non-Magical Discovery Prevention Sector. There are cross-sectors, like Social Workers, Obliviators, and the birth certificate people. There's even a History Department."

"You know a lot."

"Not really. I don't know half of it. It helps to know somebody who works in building. Mother still hasn't met everyone. You do _not_ want to go to the inter-office Holiday party."

Deni made a noncommittal nod. There was so much for her to soak in. A thousand questions were swimming in her head. _There should be a mortal-born rule book making sector, _she thought. _It would make this ten-times easier._ "What's the Follower's End?" she finally asked.

"I don't know," Cris said, far too quickly. "Wanna hear about Quidditch?"

It turns out that Quidditch was a high-impact sport with fourteen players, six goals, four hoops and two bats played mid-air on brooms. "I'm going to make the team, even if it's just as Broom Switcher," Cris said, in a matter-of-fact tone at the end of her explanation.

Deni opened Blake's cage. The squirrel shook itself with an angry squeak.

"Sorry," Deni told him, scratching his head. "Didn't mean to drop you. I just got scared, that's all."

Cris pulled something out of her pocket. It was a cookie. She broke a piece off. "This will cheer him up, Deniella. Widow Holler's famous seven-flavor-chunk cookie."

The squirrel jumped into Cris' lap and greedily took the chunk. He jumped onto Deni's head and curled up, chattering and chewing. Both girls laughed.

Cris broke the rest of the cookie in half. "Want half, Ella?"

"Ella?" Deni had no idea where that came from. No one had ever called her Ella. In fact, very few called her Deniella. It had been Deni for as long as she could remember.

"Oh. Is there another nickname you like?"

"Deni. Like the restaurant. Expect there's an 'i' instead of a 'y' and one 'n' instead of two."

"So it's not like the restaurant, and I've never heard of Denny, the restaurant. I'm not even sure I know what a restaurant is."

"Well, it's pronounced like the restaurant, but it's spelled like the first four letters of my name. Mama says I over-think things." She nibbled on the cookie half. "Like, I can't figure why you made fun of that dude's head. We were already in trouble. Oh, and a restaurant is a place where you get pre-cooked food."

"I guess I don't trust authority," Cris said, with a shrug. "Or like it really. I don't get the whole 'sir' and 'ma'am' thing."

"I usually do it out of fear," Deni admitted. "My gymnastics coach is brutal. I should say 'was' because I'm no longer a gymnast, shouldn't I|?"

"You're a gymnast?"

"Yeah." Deni took another bite. "You know, back flips, hand springs, tumbling?"

"I know what a gymnast is, silly. I just couldn't believe you were one."

"I'd show you, but I think we're in here because we're in trouble. Why'd you hit that Paramount kid anyway?"

"Monty's a jerk," the other girl said, simply. She leaned back in her seat and took out another cookie. "What flavors are your chunks?"

Deni picked one of the chunks off of the cookie, and noticed it was changing color. She licked it, as it flashed pink. "Strawberry." It flashed white. "Vanilla." Yellow. "Butterscotch." Yellow speckles on white. "Popcorn?" her pitch rose with surprise. "What kind of people put popcorn-flavored things in their cookies?"

"Wizards," Cris replied. "Duh. You are one, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Deni said, defensively, "but popcorn-flavored cookies?"

"If you don't like the idea of popcorn, then I wouldn't suggest biting down on one when it's green."

"Why?"

"It's grass."

Deni stared at her cookie in surprise. Cristen had been right earlier. She did have a lot learn. The girls lapsed into silence, thinking about the coming school year.


	2. Square

**A/N: **I changed my mind about the concurrent timeline thing.

"Oh my goodness, Deni. You look adorable!" Bea clapped her hands. "Look Brad, my little girl all grown up. Now she's going to boarding school. Oh, sweetie!" She threw her arms around Deni with a squeal.

"Mama, come on!" Deni pushed her mother away, tugged on the navy blue dress and pulled on the shirt's collar. "I feel funny enough without you messin' with me! I don't even wanna go to this witches' school. Something just doesn't feel right." She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Den," Brad said gently. "Please, you can't keep thinking that new things are bad. Being a wizard isn't a bad thing." He put a hand on her shoulder. "You should consider it an honor."

"An honor? Dad," Deni whined. "I'm a freak." She grabbed her bag and headed for the stairs. "Please, don't make me go."

Bea took the bag. "Deni, baby, this is your chance to be special. To do something we couldn't do. You can be somebody."

"I am somebody. I'm going to be an Olympic gymnast."

Brad squatted in front of her. "Den, you'll do great." The doorbell rang. "I'll get it." He went into the hallway. "Good morning! Be there in a second!" The door opened. "Oh, hello, Miss Dowling."

"Hello, Mr. Chi. I'm here for Deniella."

Deni groaned. There was something about the woman Deni didn't like. The young girl couldn't put her finger on the problem.

"Deni," Bea whispered, giving her one last hug. "Go ahead." She handed her daughter a suitcase. "See you at Christmas."

"I'm as uncomfortable with this as you are, Applegate. I'm not a big fan of Mudbloods," Miss Dowling said. "If I had my way, you're powers would be bound and you'd be a non-magical student at your local middle school. Unfortunately, that is not my decision. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Deni replied, looking the woman in the eye. She knew what her funny feeling came from. This Dowling woman had a prejudice. Deni had no idea what 'Mudbloods' were, but it didn't sound positive.

"At least you're polite," she grumbled, pushing Deni toward a van. "Don't get comfortable. We've got another pick up in Seattle."

_Seattle? _Deni thought. _That's three hours away. Why shouldn't I be comfortable?_

"What's your name?" a girl said, reaching down to help Deni into the black vehicle.

"Deniella." She stepped up and pulled her bag in after her. She had some reservations about saying her old last name, but after a heartbeat, she finished. "Applegate."

"Cristen Malloy. You can call me Cris." She looked past Deni, onto the street. "What's the name of this place? I haven't seen anything like it."

"Cashmere. It's supposed to look like the Old West. Even has a little Pioneer Village Museum thing. It's kind of boring."

"Oh."

In the silence after the girl's syllable, Deni took the time to look at the girl beside her. Her hair was smooth and so blonde, it was almost white. She was wearing it in a low pony tail and and had a head band the color of the uniform separating her bangs from the smooth pony.

Deni looked out the window, expecting to see the familiar town of Leavenworth. To her surprise, it wasn't there. In fact, it didn't even look like they were on Highway 2. "Huh?"

Cris leaned across her to look out the window. "Haven't you been on the Magelane before?"

_Magelane?_ Deni thought. _What does that mean? _Instead of questioning her seat mate, she just shook her head.

"It's okay. I guess when you're only Wizard family in a town, you have to be careful. I had no idea James Applegate lived in a Muggle Community."

"James?" Deni questioned, "I don't know anybody named James. My twin's name is Johnny, but nobody in Mama's family has the name James."

"You're kidding. The Applegates have been in American since the Revolution." Cris gasped. Then she looked at Deni's face. "You're not kidding."

Deni shook her head. "I'm not from a Wizard family."

"I've never met a first generation wizard." Cris put her legs up on the seat and turned to face Deni. "What's it like?" She crossed her legs.

"It's normal." Deni really didn't see the purpose behind the other girl's question. "It can't be too different, can it? I mean, sixth grade is sixth grade."

"Girl, you have a lot to learn."

So they spent the trip talking about the wizarding world and the non-magical one.

"A lot of people call the society you come from 'Muggle'," an older girl said from behind us. "But don't use it at school. It's not nice."

The van driver, who Deni couldn't see, called back, "Gretchen, please. I know you're telling the new students the rules, but they'll hear them when we get to school this evening."

"Yes, Miss Gregor." The girl sat back.

"And you two face forward and buckle your seat belts. We're picking up three students in less than five minutes. We're getting back in the mortal lane."

Deni did as she was told with a quick, "Yes, ma'am."

Cristen Malloy was staring at the girls as if she was surprised, but followed suit without a word. There was a slight bump as the dumped onto a side street.

As if by magic, the van door slid open. Three short redheads stood on the curb. They all looked the same to Deni. As if to answer her thoughts, Cris leaned over, "The Garden Triplets. They're in our year might be in our dorm."

Dowling looked over her shoulder. "Ginger, Thyme, and Rosemary. We have them all, Penny. Let's get going."

Deni almost laughed at the absurdity of the names that rolled off Dowling's tongue, but Cris elbowed her in the side. "Oof."

With another dump, they were back on the Magelane. The triplets were the only students in the van that weren't wearing their uniforms. The one next to Deni reached over to shake her hand. "I'm Thyme Bridget Garden."

"Deniella Allyson Applegate."

"Applegate? As in _James _Applegate? The Quidditch player? Are you like his sister or something?"

The girl on the far side leaned over her sister, "Oh, come on, Thyme. The Otters aren't a very good team and Keeper isn't an important position. She's probably just a cousin."

Thyme looked as if she was about retort, but the driver turned back to them. "Ladies, I believe Miss Dowling wants to say something."

The other woman's voice was directed at Deni, Cris and the Garden girls, but her words probably applied to the entire van. "SIT STILL AND SHUT UP OR ALL OF YOU WILL FIND YOURSELVES IN MISS MISSION'S OFFICE TOMORROW MORNING! BELIEVE ME, IT WON'T BE THE FIRST TIME I'VE SENT OVER A THIRD OF THE STUDENT BODY TO DETENTION! IS THAT CLEAR?"Nobody replied. "I SAID 'IS THAT CLEAR'?"

"YES, MA'AM!"

Deni seriously wondered how small the student body was. A third of it would fit in a standard-sized van and assuming that everyone was five to a row, and there were four rows, there were 20 students in here, that's means there were about 60 students at Northland Girl's School. That seemed way too small.

After an uncomfortable half hour, the door opened and the students piled out. Deni was surprised at how many kids fit in the van. She counted 50. She wanted to question someone, but decided against it. It would just make her seem stupid.

Miss Dowling came over to her and handed her a small purse. "You're other supplies are all ready at the school. This is just for a wand, understood? It's the exact amount ended for a basic wand."

"Yes, ma'am." Deni took it slowly.

Cris grabbed her sleeve and tried to pull Deni toward a store, "Come on, Deniella. I'm not shopping alone!"

"Wait, Cristen," Deni said, struggling to get a breath. "Where are we?"

It appeared to be an old fashioned strip mall, a line of shops with names that Deni couldn't make sense off. _Odd Family's Herbs, Creature Parts, and Cauldrons_, _Ulysses Black's New World Familiar and Unusual Creature Emporium, Kit and Daughters Mage Wear Unlimited, Owl Post Center, Ardent Books._

"Phoenix Square, duh! Hurry up!" She was pulling Deni toward a store with a Grand Opening Sign in the window. "_Wizarding Wheeze Imports_ is opening a new branch! I bet George Weasley is there! He's a magical prank genius!"

Deni followed her classmate through the crowd. "Cristen, please. Let me breathe!" She hit someone. "Oops, sorry," she whispered. "Will you please excuse me?" She tried to move past the blockage, looking for Cristen.

A hand grasped her shoulder. The boy was wearing a green sweater vest over a white shirt and khaki shorts. She assumed it was another school's uniform because she saw the letters CRA on his breast, not unlike the letters NGS on hers. He looked like he was only a few years older than she was, but the look on his face told her he did not want to engage in casual conversation. "Excuse me," she repeated, louder.

"No," the boy replied. "I don't accept apologizes from Northland _witches_." His voice had a faint sarcastic tone to it. "Unless they're willing to transfer to Conway Ridge."

"What?" _Conway Ridge? _"I'm not sure what you mean."

He laughed emotionlessly. "What's you're name, _witch_?"

"Deniella Chi." She tried to act like nothing was wrong. "Yours?"

The question startled him slightly. He blinked and let go. "My name? Salem's grace! Why would I tell you my name?"

"I believe it's called 'a fair exchange of information'," a voice replied from behind them.

He was tall and looked like he'd been beaten up. It looked like he was wearing an eye patch over his ear, but it was mostly covered by a mass of ginger-colored hair. "You're—" The boy was so confused; he couldn't get whatever he was thinking out.

"British?" Deni offered. "We're okay, sir. Sorry to disrupt you."

He shrugged and walked back into the crowd.

Cristen saw the boy before she saw Deni. "You."

"Hello, Cristen Ma—"

"Say my last name, and you'll regret it, Paramount Lynberg." Cristen clenched her fists.

Paramount Lynberg snorted. "What are you going to do to me, Cristen? You're a sixth grader. I'm in seventh. The only spells you know are simple children's rhymes. What good would those do in a duel? I suggest you and—what was your name again?"

"Deniella." Deni replied. "Come on, Cris. Let's get outta here. Dowling all ready threatened to give everybody detention and I still need a wand." She tried to pull her classmate out of the store. "Fine! I give up!" She elbowed her way out of the store.

Phoenix Square turned out to be more than just a wizarding strip mall. It was an entire town, but Deni could not a wand shop anywhere. She saw a deli, bakery, and apartment complex, a small bus from some place called Diamondback Day School, several homes, and even a tattoo shop.

After twenty minutes of taking in the town, Deni was lost. She decided it was time to knock on a door and politely ask which direction she needed to go. She knocked at one at random.

A portly woman answered the door. "Oh, hello, deary. Are you lost?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm trying to find a place to buy a wand. Could you point me in the right direction?"

The woman looked her up and down and her smile widened. "Well, ya came to right place. Please, come in."

Deni raised an eyebrow. "Really, ma'am. I'm not sure I should. Mom told me I should never ever go in a stranger's house."

"Your ma must be one smart cookie, Missy."

"My name isn't Missy, ma'am" Deni corrected gently, "It's Deni and my mom isn't a cookie, she's some thing called a Muggle."

The woman chuckled, "Well, Deni, I think I have just the wand. Be right back." She went inside.

The woman came out with a wooden box. "This was the last wand my husband carved before he died. Alder, powdered dragon scale, seven and three quarters inches." She opened it.

Deni stared at the wand. It was sitting in green velvet. She picked it up and it sparked green. "Whoa," she jumped back.

"You got yourself a mighty good sign." The woman pointed up the street. "To get back to your friends, turn left on Potter, then right on Main."

Deni nodded and went the direction the woman indicated. Then she turned back. "I forgot to pay you!"

"Me treat, deary. Go buy yourself a cookie. Widow Holler makes a mean seven-flavor-chunk."

"There you are!"

Deni let out a breath. "Yeah, sorry. Got lost."

Cris smiled. "It's okay. I'm sure this is pretty overwhelming. Come on!" The girl started pulling Deni toward another store. This one was called _Ulysses Black's New World Familiar and Unusual Creature Emporium._ "I need to get an owl."

"Unusual Creature?" Deni's voice cracked. "That doesn't imply dangerous, does it?"

"I'm not sure what 'imply' means, but Mrs. Black doesn't sell anything dangerous. Mr. Black died three years ago when someone sold him a beagle that was charmed to fart fire. His heart stopped. It was unfortunate, but she can't stand the idea of selling—or killing—the poor dear. He's actually kind of cute."

_Fire-farting beagle, _Deni thought. _This day couldn't get any stranger._

The store was packed with animals. Most of them were birds of prey, but Deni saw some cats, rats, and other rodents. The 'unusual' turned out to be a jewel-encrusted tortoise, a bunny that turned into a top hat, and Sire, the infamous fire-farting beagle. Cris walked over to the bird section.

One of the Garden triplets was looking at snakes, when she let out a scream. "THERE IS SOMETHING ON MY HEAD!"

Deni ran to the girl. Indeed, a small pure-white squirrel with a stub for a tail, was sitting in her hair, chattering. "Aw," Deni said. "It's cute."

"NO, IT'S NOT! GET IT OFF!" the Garden girl screamed again, her arms failing around. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

Deni gingerly picked the creature, being careful of its teeth. "You got a name, cutie?" she asked it.

The squirrel stopped chattering, jumped on her shoulder and looked at her, holding its head sideways. The look on its face said _I-don't-know-do-I?_

"Usually, the owner names their familiar," the teenage girl at the counter said. "But I call that little guy Blake."

Blake the squirrel started to chatter again and crawled closer to Deni's face. It jumped onto her head, and curled into a ball, content.

"I think he likes you," the girl said. "Mom would be so happy if I could get rid of him. He likes to torment the beagle."

Deni picked up the creature and set it on one of tables. "I don't have any money, sorry." She did have her wand money her pocket, but didn't feel right spending it.

The girl's smile widened. "We didn't buy him, he just showed up. Technically, he can come and go as he pleases. If you want him, he's yours. Mom wouldn't know any better." She pushed a small wire cage across the counter. "I'm not sure what he eats, other than toffee and those weird Muggle candies that are supposed to be chocolate but look like rabbit dung."

"Tootsie rolls?" Deni took the cage. "Okay, that's an interesting diet, but the ones in my neighborhood eat acorns." She opened it and put back on the counter. "Come on, Blake." She lifted the rodent off her head and tried to put him in the cage.

Blake's chattering increased in protest. He jumped back on Deni's head.

She picked him up again, and put him on the counter. "Get in, mister," she ordered in her firmest tone. The squirrel stopped chattering and looked up at Deni. She pointed at the cage. "I mean it!"

Shamefully, the little animal crawled into the cage. Deni closed the door and picked up it up, heading for the exit.

"Remind me to not get on your bad side, Deniella," Cris said, coming up behind, empty handed. "I couldn't find one I like. Maybe my folks will get me one for Christmas, or Easter."

They had walked back onto the street.

"Wizards celebrate Easter?" Deni asked, skeptical.

The blonde nodded. "Of course."

"I just thought it was a—you know—" Deni paused. "A Christian thing."

"A surprisingly large amount of wizards are 'Christian'. Some even believe Jesus Christ was a wizard."

"I thought he was the son of a god or something like that."

"They think he was very delusional, but still a very powerful wizard. Some even argue that he was the greatest wizard ever. Even more powerful than Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter? Who's Harry Potter?"

"Only one of most amazing wizards—and Quidditch Seekers—ever!" The girl took a deep breath:

"_His eyes are as green as a fresh-pickled toad_

_His hair is as dark as a chalk board_

_He's so divine; I wish he was mine!_

_The hero who conquered the Dark Lord_

"His wife wrote that when they were in school. It's kind of become his cheer. He plays for England."

_Great, more I don't know,_ Deni thought. "What's Quidditch and who's the Dark Lord?"

Someone snorted behind them. "Cristen, your friend is stupider than a Squib. Must be a Mudblood."

Cris turned, pulling her wand out, "Dare you to say that again, Lynberg!"

Paramount Lynberg started laughing. "Like I said earlier, 'what can you do to me?'" He looked at Deni. "You are a Mudblood," he said, slowly. "Do you know what that means?"

Deni pulled out her own wand. "Something very very bad."

"Very good, but you're holding your wand wrong. How do you expect to score anything higher than an Unpleasant on your Practical AWE?" He pulled out his own. "See? You hold it like this. In your right hand."

"Does it matter if she's left-handed?" Cris demanded.

"Of course it matters. Many of the testers are biased."

"They shouldn't be," Deni said, in a matter-of-fact tone. "When they grade the WASL, they don't who you are until they're done."

"What's the WASL?"

"Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Duh. You have to take it in the fourth grade, seventh, and tenth grades. You take the Science in eighth. There's also an Idaho and an Iowa one. One of them's the ISAT, but I don't know which one. Then, there is the SAT and the ACT, for when you wanna go to college. I think the other states have them but I don't know the acronyms. What does AWE stand for?"

"You know the meaning of the word acronym?" Lynberg questioned. "What kind of Mudblood are you?"

"Stop calling her that!" Cris yelled, clenching her fist.

"Are you going to fight me Muggle-style?" Lynberg taunted. "I'd like to see you try!"

The girl launched herself at Lynberg with a growl. Deni flinched slightly, dropping Blake's cage with a bang. The squirrel started to chatter in anger. Deni squatted to pick up the cage.

"What in the name of Albus Dumbledore is going on here?"

Lynberg and Cris stopped fighting immediately, their wands drawn. Deni straightened, fumbling with the cage. "Principal Fenderson!" Lynberg yelped in surprise.

A tall bald man glared at the three children. He crossed his arms over his chest, wand loosely gripped in his right hand. "Well, I'm waiting for my explanation, children."

Cris pointed her wand at Lynberg accusingly. "He called Deniella the M-word!"

The man turned to Deni. "Is that true, young lady?"

Deni nodded, arms wrapped protectively Blake's cage. "I think so, sir." She told herself to remember that 'Mudblood' was either a curse word or a pretty ugly insult and not to use it.

"Well then," the man said. "Wands, all of you. Come on, hand them over."

"Yes, sir," she mumbled. Deni passed hers to him, slowly, and Lynberg, red faced, followed suit. She didn't want to, but she also didn't know any spells. It wasn't like she could do any good with it.

"We don't even go to Conway Ridge!" Cris protested, jamming her own wand into her pocket. "You can't punish us!"

"Have you read the MEA, young lady?" The man inquired. "Your wand." He held out his other hand.

"Northland isn't funded by the government," Cris retorted.

"What grade are you entering?"

"Sixth," Deni replied, quickly. The small brunette shuffled nervously. "Sir."

"National enrollment," the principal continued. "Doesn't start tomorrow. Technically, I have more say in your education right now than Northland's headmistress does. If I wanted to, I could demand that you be enrolled at Conway Ridge for the purpose of punishment."

"Just give him your wand," Deni whispered. "You'll get us in even more trouble. I don't think my scholarship would transfer with me."

"Your friend is right, young lady. Give me your wand right now, and you might still be able to go to Northland Girls' School."

Cris glared at him, fury burning in her eyes, but handed her wand over. She mumbled something under breath.

"Could you repeat that, young lady?" the teacher prompted. "I don't believe your articulation was correct."

Cris smirked. "I," she said, confidently. "Can see my reflection in your shiny bald head." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Sir."

Deni gasped and Lynberg hid a chuckle behind his hand.

"You can, can you?" He turned to the student from his school. "Lynberg, report to your grade's superior." His face showed no emotion, but he handed the boy his wand. "Give him your wand when you get there, young man."

The boy nodded once and left, walking at a brisk pace. He looked pale and shocked.

Deni's eyes went wide. "Oh great." She was mentally hitting herself. "We are in so much trouble."

Principal Fenderson forcibly led the girls to Northland's black van. Gregor was leaning against it. "Hello, Miss Gregor. A word?"

"Mr. Fenderson," the woman replied, sarcastically. "How nice to see you again. Mind telling me why you are gracing two of my sixth graders with your presence?"

"I am considering taking educational custody of these two young _ladies_. This one," he said, gesturing to Cris. "For fist-fighting and disrespect. And this one." He gestured to Deni. "Guilty by association. I need their names."

"Northland is a privately-funded institution, Mr. Fenderson," Gregor replied. "One of the students in your grasp is attending on a full scholarship. She will not be able to attend Conway Ridge unless you offer her the financial means."

"I was made aware of the fact, but the head of enrollment at Diamondback Day is also here today. It is a cost-free institution. If my superiors do not approve, he could take custody of her."

"You would have to contact her parents. They are under the impression that she is attending a boarding school."

"Simple enough. Her enrollment maybe delayed by a few days, but she will catch-up."

"They are mortals. Those with non-magical parents have a difficult time attending day schools. In fact, both the MEA and the Blood-Line Anti-Discrimination Law discourage it. Northland would not hesitate to take you to the AW. Or would you rather be court marshaled by the Mage Corps, Lieutenant Corporal?"

All the acronyms were confusing Deni, but the argument was getting heated. She opened her mouth and then closed it. It was better to keep quiet.

"I retired three years ago."

"It hasn't been five years yet, you could easily be reinstated."

"Why are you not working for the Legal Sector, Gregor?"

"Because my talents are put to better use at Northland. Last year, Salem Witches' Institute tried some thing similar, and those students did nothing wrong."

"I have friends in the Education Sector. I could easily have Northland shut down."

"Under what pretenses?"

"Ghost infestation. Poor elf treatment. Low standardized test scores. Purposeful Squib enrollment. Any number of things can be written on paper. The Wizard Senate wouldn't bat an eyelash at an excuse to close down an up-start radical institution."

"Women's equality is not a radical position. Non-magical women have had the ability to hold political offices for years now. If I remember correctly, one got extremely close to the highest office this past election." Gregor's voice remained eerily calm. "Don't you think our young ladies deserve a chance?"

"Muggles are primitive creatures, Gregor."

"They maybe far more advanced in the social/political realm than we are, Fenderson."

"It's the Wizard Senate, Gregor, not the Wizard and Witch Senate."

"You know my standing on the word 'witch', Fenderson."

"You know my standing on enrolling students whose ancestors are on the Follower's End under forged names."

Cris gasped and threw her hand over her mouth. She mumbled a quick apology.

Deni had been following the conversation like a tennis match looking from one person to the other, but her eyes fell on Cris. "Yes my dear. It does happen." Fenderson's face was suddenly soft. "It's despicable, isn't it?"

Gregor tapped her foot impatiently. "This debate is getting us no where, Archibald. I will see to it that these two are punished accordingly. If they prove to be chronic troublemakers, they will be transferred to your educational custody come next term."

"Are you willing to swear it, Penny?"

The woman pulled out her wand and held it over her heart. "Mage's Honor."

"I will still need their full names, so I can get access to their files." He let go of the girls, regretfully.

"Girls, tell Mr. Fenderson your names." Gregor ordered.

"Cristen Josephine Malloy."

Deni took deep breath and loosened her grip on Blake's cage. "Deniella Allyson Applegate."

"Applegate, you say?" Fenderson's surprise seemed genuine.

"Yes, sir." Deni confirmed. "Mother's maiden name."

"I am going to need your father's name to see your file, Miss Applegate."

"I don't my father's name sir. I'm not sure my mother even knows."

"What is your mother's name, Miss Applegate?"

"Bea Marie Chi. She's married now."

"And your stepfather's name?"

"I just call him Brad."

Fenderson sighed and started to walk off. "I'll work with what I have, then, Miss Applegate. And you, Miss Malloy, one toe out of line and you're mine."

"Yes, sir," Cris replied in an unenthused tone.

Gregor opened the van door. "Get in girls. I think you've had enough trauma for one day."

"What's all that acronym and sector stuff about?" Deni asked Cris while they waited for their classmates.

"MEA stands for Magical Education Act. I forgot what AW stands for. American Wiga-something. It's a court. There are seven sectors. Education, Healthcare, Legal, Justice, Immigration, International Relations, and Non-Magical Discovery Prevention. There are under sectors too. The Aurors. The Quidditch Authority. The Currency Unit. The Mage Corp. Mother heads the Artifact Subsector of the Non-Magical Discovery Prevention Sector. There are cross-sectors, like Social Workers, Obliviators, and the birth certificate people. There's even a History Department."

"You know a lot."

"Not really. I don't know half of it. It helps to know somebody who works in building. Mother still hasn't met everyone. You do _not_ want to go to the inter-office Holiday party."

Deni made a noncommittal nod. There was so much for her to soak in. A thousand questions were swimming in her head. _There should be a mortal-born rule book making sector, _she thought. _It would make this ten-times easier._ "What's the Follower's End?" she finally asked.

"I don't know," Cris said, far too quickly. "Wanna hear about Quidditch?"

It turns out that Quidditch was a high-impact sport with fourteen players, six goals, four hoops and two bats played mid-air on brooms. "I'm going to make the team, even if it's just as Broom Switcher," Cris said, in a matter-of-fact tone at the end of her explanation.

Deni opened Blake's cage. The squirrel shook itself with an angry squeak.

"Sorry," Deni told him, scratching his head. "Didn't mean to drop you. I just got scared, that's all."

Cris pulled something out of her pocket. It was a cookie. She broke a piece off. "This will cheer him up, Deniella. Widow Holler's famous seven-flavor-chunk cookie."

The squirrel jumped into Cris' lap and greedily took the chunk. He jumped onto Deni's head and curled up, chattering and chewing. Both girls laughed.

Cris broke the rest of the cookie in half. "Want half, Ella?"

"Ella?" Deni had no idea where that came from. No one had ever called her Ella. In fact, very few called her Deniella. It had been Deni for as long as she could remember.

"Oh. Is there another nickname you like?"

"Deni. Like the restaurant. Expect there's an 'i' instead of a 'y' and one 'n' instead of two."

"So it's not like the restaurant, and I've never heard of Denny, the restaurant. I'm not even sure I know what a restaurant is."

"Well, it's pronounced like the restaurant, but it's spelled like the first four letters of my name. Mama says I over-think things." She nibbled on the cookie half. "Like, I can't figure why you made fun of that dude's head. We were already in trouble. Oh, and a restaurant is a place where you get pre-cooked food."

"I guess I don't trust authority," Cris said, with a shrug. "Or like it really. I don't get the whole 'sir' and 'ma'am' thing."

"I usually do it out of fear," Deni admitted. "My gymnastics coach is brutal. I should say 'was' because I'm no longer a gymnast, shouldn't I|?"

"You're a gymnast?"

"Yeah." Deni took another bite. "You know, back flips, hand springs, tumbling?"

"I know what a gymnast is, silly. I just couldn't believe you were one."

"I'd show you, but I think we're in here because we're in trouble. Why'd you hit that Paramount kid anyway?"

"Monty's a jerk," the other girl said, simply. She leaned back in her seat and took out another cookie. "What flavors are your chunks?"

Deni picked one of the chunks off of the cookie, and noticed it was changing color. She licked it, as it flashed pink. "Strawberry." It flashed white. "Vanilla." Yellow. "Butterscotch." Yellow speckles on white. "Popcorn?" her pitch rose with surprise. "What kind of people put popcorn-flavored things in their cookies?"

"Wizards," Cris replied. "Duh. You are one, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Deni said, defensively, "but popcorn-flavored cookies?"

"If you don't like the idea of popcorn, then I wouldn't suggest biting down on one when it's green."

"Why?"

"It's grass."

Deni stared at her cookie in surprise. Cristen had been right earlier. She did have a lot learn. The girls lapsed into silence, thinking about the coming school year.


	3. Chapter 3

"Miss Malloy, Miss Applegate, what are you doing in here?" Dowling demanded, pulling open the van door.

Gregor walked up behind her. "They got in a fight with a student from Conway Ridge Academy, Inspire. I have their wands and they haven't spoken."

Dowling narrowed her eyes at her colleague. "They're new students, Penny. How do you know them well enough?"

Gregor stared back. "The curly-headed one, Applegate, looked frightened enough by Archibald Fenderson. I don't think we'll have anymore trouble from them."

"Trouble? The blonde one looks like the embodiment of trouble."

"They're children. A little fighting can be expected."

"With a student from the best school in the Nation! We can't afford to lose more students to CRA they'll shut us down!"

"There's no chance for trouble. Especially not from them, right girls?" Gregor turned to them. "Right?"

"Yes, ma'am." Deni muttered, elbowing Cris in side.

"Yes, you'll get no trouble from us," Cris said, sarcastically, using a fake British accent. "We'll be prefect little angels." She clasped her hands together.

Dowling rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, walking away. "But if I hear one peep out of these, _cherubs_, they'll have detention for a month and you'll have to answer for them!"

"That's understandable, Inspire. I can assure you." She put her wand over her heart again. "That they won't make a sound. Mage's honor."

Dowling snorted but continued to walk away.

The van driver turned to the girls. "I'd hate to be you, Malloy. Explaining yourself to Rain Mission. In my ten years at NGS, I've never seen a student that was so ill-mannered. And you, Applegate, I suggest you find yourself a different group of friends." Despite her harsh words, she smiled. "It's about time we got girls like you. You'll be stuck in detention for a few weeks, but I'm glad you stood up for yourselves. Just don't do it around Dowling, okay?" She waved her wand at Cris.

Cris tried to speak, but she gagged silently. She put her hands around her neck in surprise.

"Silencing Charm. Don't worry, I'll take it off when we get to school. Can I trust you not to speak, Applegate, or do you want Silenced too?"

Deni bit her lip and shook her head. Being Silenced didn't sound pleasant.

"Thought so." She slammed the van door shut.

The students filed out of the van, and Deni looked around. Northland Girls' School reminded her of a compound. It was surrounded by a tall brick wall and had seven single-story buildings. An eighth, placed in the middle, had three floors and was labeled 'Administration and Classrooms'. The other buildings weren't labeled.

"Sixth graders!" A tiny voice was calling. "Sixth graders! Over here!"

Deni followed her classmates. The speaker was a small white-haired woman, who was about three-foot tall. "Hello, and welcome to Northland. I'm Mrs. Yourn, Deputy Headmistress of Beginning Studies. I also teach the Remedial courses. You all need to follow her."

The girl was smiling, and the embroidery on her uniform indentified her as Bunny Howell. She read Deni's dress. "Applegate, huh? Any relation to the Quidditch player?"

One of the Garden girls snorted. "She'd be lucky if she were that cool."

"I don't know," Deni admitted with a shrug. "Never met him."

"Can you fly?" The older girl looked her over. "You're built like a Seeker. I'm the Captain, if you're interested."

"I've never been on a broom." Deni scratched the back of her head. "Sorry."

The Quidditch Captain shrugged and opened a door. "Here we are. Dinner is in thirty minutes." The younger girls filed and she shut the door behind them.

"Who do you think you are?" the girl with straight black hair muttered, turning to Deni. "Walking in here like you own the place! It's _so_ obvious that you're a Mudblood!"

"I don't think I'm anybody," Deni whispered lifting her bag onto the nearest bed.

"Oh, really?" she snorted, getting up in Deni's face. "Then why do you think you can pollute our school?"

"I didn't realize I was polluting it," she said, softly.

One of the Garden girls smirked. "Oh really," she said in the same tone as her friend. "You don't think that coming from dirty stock isn't polluting?"

Deni just stood there, turning red in embarrassment. She held up her hands in surrender and backed out of the room. She struggled with the door, but managed to walk out into the courtyard. She sat in the dirt with a little puff.

"You gonna be all right?" Another girl from their dorm sat down next to her carefully tucking some lose hair into a white bonnet.

Deni quickly noted a subtle difference in the girl's uniform. It was longer-sleeved and didn't have the white belt or the stiff collar. Instead, she wore a long waist-tied apron. Deni nodded, but couldn't hide the confusion in her face.

"Don't worry none." The girl said. "We ain't polluting this place."

Deni blinked in surprise. "You're a Muggle-born too?"

"Nah. I'm from the Hill People. Prudence of the Carter Clan. Pop had himself a right fit when he learned that I wanted to be a 'wizard' and not a witch proper, but Ma wouldn't let him argue it."

"Oh." Deni didn't fully understand the girl, but she got the gist of it. "Name's Deniella. Why'd your dad get mad? My step-daddy told me it was an honor."

"Pop was 'fraid I'd get our family name on the Follower's End. I swore to him I'd keep the Clan outta the Nation's view."

"What's the Follower's End? I heard the principal from Conway Ridge Academy mention it once."

"You oughter keep that to yous-self, Deniella Applegate." She leaned in to whisper. "The Nation says it don't exist. It's a list of people they don't like none."

"Why would they keep a secret list of people they don't like?"

"They're Dark. Mostly folks from the Ash Conspiracy. The Nation even put some folks from the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare on it. SPEW is plumber nuts, but they ain't Dark."

Once again, Deni didn't recognize half of the vernacular. She started with the first question that came to mind. "Is being Dark bad?"

"O'course bein' Dark is bad, silly hippogriff." Prudence laughed. "Would good folks go around cursin' other peoples?"

"No," Deni said, slowly. "I guess not. I wouldn't want somebody cursing me. Especially not them." She jerked her thumb back at the door to the dorm.

"Don't mind those gals. They're mostly East-Coasters. They think they're all high and mighty, but deep down, they know as much of nothing as you. Only us Hill People can learn magics 'fore they start school, and it's only to do our chores." She pulled her wand out of an apron pocket. "We even pass our wands. This one came came from mine eldest brother. He got a new one when he joined the Aurors. This one's good old oak. What 'bout yours?"

"Miss Gregor's got mine, but I think the lady said it was alder and powdered dragon scale."

The other girl stared at her in shock. Her pupils were so large, you couldn't see the blue. "Alder? Are ya sure she said 'alder'?"

"Yeah," Deni said, slowly. "Is there something wrong?"

"Some old legend my mimi tells. The wand o' power is alder. Gettin' a wand made from alder is bad luck, it is. An alder wand is cause for woe. Somethin' bad's gonna happen to ya, Deniella Applegate. My mimi would bet on it."

Deni couldn't shake Prudence's words as the student body walked to the main building. The girl's tone had been completely serious, and the alarm on her face was apparent. Deni shivered and it had nothing to do with the faint rain.

Cris walked up to her, smiling. She threw something at her. "Here!"

Deni's wand landed at her feet. She picked it up and put in her pocket. "Thanks."

"What's wrong with you, Deni? You look like you've seen my cousin." Cris turned her head to look at her from a different angle. "Or a ghost."

Deni shook her head. "I'm okay." She tried to smile. "Some girl in my dorm told me something creepy, that's all."

"Don't worry. A lot of the old families are superstitious. My family moved here from Britain during their second civil war. I was born there."

"You're British?" Deni gasped, and stopped walking. "No way! You don't have an accent!"

"Mum's an American. She met Dad at the '94 Quidditch World Cup. The only person from that side I've met is my cousin." She shrugged. "But you can't pick your family. Come on, we can't be late."

Deni started walking again. "At least you know your cousin. I don't even know who my real daddy is."

"You don't know your dad? Not even his name?"

"Sometimes Mom says it's Bill. The other times, it's Tom, but he doesn't have a last name. And she says he's in prison."

"I'd bet it's on your Nation record." Cris said in a matter-of-fact tone. "At least, if he's a wizard. Even if he's not, they probably can find out who he is. You should ask Miss Mission."

Deni thought about it for a moment. It was tempting, but she was content with what she had. Brad had been round since she was six and her memories from before then were fuzzy at best. She didn't know what her mother would think, or how'd she tell Johnny without Libby finding out, amusing that her sister had a different father. Deni made a non-commitmental gesture, as the two girls walked into the cafeteria.

Nearly every table was packed, but Deni noticed Prudence Carter was sitting alone on the other side of the room. The other girl waved at her. "Deniella Applegate, over here!"

A decent amount of heads turned at the name 'Applegate' and Deni turned red, but kept walking. "Come on," she muttered to Cris. "Let's go sit with Prudence."

"A Hill Person?"

"Yes, I think that's what she called herself. You got a problem with that?"

"Actually—"

"Please, ladies! Sit down!" Dowling was calling from the long staff table at the front of the room. "NOW!"

Any student that was standing rushed to an empty seat. Deni sprinted to Prudence and slid in beside her. "Hi," she whispered.

"Thank you, Miss Dowling," Mission said, standing up. "Good evening ladies and welcome to another year at Northland Girls' School. I'm sure you all had an amazing summer, since I haven't received any letters from the Trace Sector. This, of course, doesn't mean some of you haven't bent the rules."

Several of the older students laughed and Mission smile widened. "Yes, I mean you, Bunny. Haven't taken another Bludger to the head have you?"

"Nope!" the Quidditch Captain replied, putting her hands behind her head and leaning back. "As far as you know, I haven't been on a broom all summer!"

"Good, let's make sure it stays that way; shall we?" The headmistress turned to the student body. "As I was saying: 'Welcome to another year at Northland Girls' School'. For you new students, and those who don't pay attention, I'm Miss Mission, your headmistress. I'm the one you come to see if you get in trouble. My office is up on the third floor, and I've been told I'll be seeing a few of you sooner than we'd all like. Other than that, we're in for another fun year.

"On a more serious note, please remember that there is no jinxing, charming, hexing, dueling, stunning, transfiguration, poisoning, general potion using, flying, floating, cursing (in the both senses of the word), throwing, yelling, running, teleporting, or brawling in the hallways. Our humble librarian, Widow Jones, would like to remind everyone that no food, drinks, dung bombs, portable swamps, or other joke items are allowed in the library, unless you wish to clean it without magic. Alterative forms of spell casting are prohibited. That includes Dark Arts, Verse, Voodoo, and Chant based magic. When in doubt, don't cast it.

"Quidditch tryouts are two days from now, during study period. For answers to your inevitable questions, see Bunny Howell or Coach Hug. Okay, that's it. Bunny, do your thing."

The Quidditch captain jumped up, smiling. "HEY GIRLS!" she screamed, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"YEAH?" most of student body yelled back.

"NORTHLAND ON THREE. ONE TWO THREE…" She held up her fingers.

"NORTHLAND!" over a hundred voices cried. Deni clasped her hands over her ears and closed her eyes. The windows were rattling and some people were stomping their feet and clapping their hands.

"NORTHLAND!" Bunny cried again.

"NORTHLAND!" the student body echoed.

"GO NIFFLERS!" Even the teachers joined in on the last part of the chant.

"What's a niffler?" Deni whispered.

"A pest," Prudence replied. "I really don't like 'em. Ma has me chasing 'em outta the house all the time."

Deni nodded, but was suddenly distracted by the smell of food. There were things she recognized, like pot roast, potatoes, and gravy. Some of the other items didn't look so appetizing, like vegetables floating in a bright pink broth. She spooned some potatoes onto her plate, and stirred them around.

"Somethin' wrong, Deniella?" Prudence asked, looking up from her own plate.

"Miss Mission, she—" Deni gulped. "She said someone was going to be in her office. What kind of punishment do you think she gives?"

"There a reason you askin'?"

"I got in a fight with some guy from another school. He—he said something not so nice."

"Fightin'? You ought to have settled it peace-like."

"I didn't hit him or anything like that," Deni defended. "I pulled my wand out but somebody else hit him. It's not like I can curse anybody." She spooned some potatoes into her mouth, chewed and swallowed.

Prudence watched Deni, her head turned slightly. "You keep remindin' me of some being I saw some wheres. Are ya sure nobody in your family is a wizard?"

Deni continued stirring her potatoes. "My father," she whispered. "He could be, but I don't know who he is and everybody says I look like Mom."

"And your ma isn't a witch?"

Deni shook her head. "Nope. Her and my stepdad grew up together. He's not a wizard either." She scooped up some more potatoes and watched them slowly slide off her spoon. "It's okay though. They're cool parents."

"Your folks are ice?" Prudence's eyes went wide. "Did some being curse 'em?"

Deni laughed. "No. Cool has nothing to do with hot or cold. It means I like them."

The other girl mumbled an apology. She blushed and looked down.

"That's okay, Prudence. I don't understand anything anybody here talks about." She thought for a moment. "Hey, why don't we help each other?" She used her spoon to emphasize her speaking.

Prudence looked up; she seemed confused. "Whatcha mean, Deniella Applegate?"

"You explain wizard words to me and I'll tell you as much as I know about growing up non-magical."

"You got yous-self a deal."

The next morning, Deni was the second person out of bed. She showered and dressed. She caught up to Prudence on her way to the cafeteria. "Morning," she said with a yawn.

Prudence nodded and walked into main building. "Good thing ya got outta bed early," she said, pointing at a bulletin board.

**Deniella Applegate Headmistress' Office ASAP.**

Cris' name was written in the same manner, but further down the list. They were the only ASAP students. Deni gulped. "Exactly how soon is as-soon-as-possible?"

"How about now?" a voice said from behind them.

Both girls jumped up in surprise and turned. Mission was smiling at them warmly. "Prudence, do you mind?"

The Hill Person shook her head and walked into the cafeteria.

The Headmistress turned to Deni. "Good morning, Deniella, how are you?"

Deni looked down nervously. "Fine, ma'am, I guess."

"Don't look so frightened, Deniella. In my opinion, you aren't in trouble. Sadly, Principal Fenderson doesn't agree with the defense theory. You, Cristen, and the Lynberg boy have all detention until Christmas vacation."

"That's almost four months!" Deni groaned. "I didn't even do anything!"

"I'm aware of that," the woman replied, smile fading. She handed Deni a pink slip of paper. "Study hall is right next to my office."

**You have detention please report to Study Hall for the first thirty minutes of free period. Take this slip with you.**

Deni put it in her pocket. "Yes, ma'am."

The woman smiled again. "Go get breakfast."

Deni smiled back. "Okay… ma'am." She walked into the cafeteria and took the time to look around. There was nothing really special about it. It was white-walled, white-floored, with shiny metal tables and piles of breakfast food. She slid in opposite Prudence and grabbed a piece of toast.

An Asian girl walked up to them, shyly. "Can I sit here?"

Deni scooted over. "Sure. I'm Deni, this is Prudence."

"Alberta Ping," she sat down. "We have History first period."

"Yep. I saw'd the schedules on the notice boards," Prudence replied. "At 8."

Deni finished her toast and got up, and started walking. "I'd better go brush my teeth. See you in class."

Two sixth graders in Deni's dorm were pounding on the bathroom door. "Ginger, get out of the bath room!" The other redhead yelled.

"I'm trying to do my hair, Rosie!"

"Class starts at 8," Deni said, going to the stack of books she had noticed the night before. _Magical History for Beginners, part 1_, was the largest book the pile. She pulled out her new backpack, pens, pencils, notebooks, and slid in the book in. "It's fifteen 'til."

"Did we ask you, Mudblood?" the other girl said.

"Amy," Rosie said, "Stop it. She was just telling us what time it was. Thanks, Deniella."

Deni nodded and walked back to the main building, knocking into someone. "Hey, Applegate. What up?"

She looked up at Bunny Howell. "Oh, good morning," she whispered in reply.

"You're shy," Bunny said in astonishment. "Take it you didn't go to primary academy or prep school."

"What?" she asked. Deni had never heard of a primary academy. She had heard of prep schools, but not in this region or with her family's finances. Attending one would have been out of the question. "I don't think I know what you mean."

Bunny looked at her both alarmed and amused. "Home-raised?"

"What am I, a chicken?" Deni asked, loudly. "I don't think I'm made of poultry."

Bunny looked at her, not understanding the joke. "Then where'd you go to school before here?"

"The local elementary school," she said bravely. "I've been to three now."

"Elementary as in _mortal_?" Howell inquired. "You're not James Applegate's cousin? That's impossible. You look like all the other wizarding Applegates. Curly hair." She pointed at Deni's eyes. "Yellow ring around the pupil. Petite. Your feet are bigger though. Almost like a Brieen, but the last Brieen…" Her voice trailed off.

"What? The last Brieen what or who?"

Benny looked around the abandoned courtyard. "The last Brieen is supposedly on the Follower's End. We're not allowed to say his first name in my family. My uncle was involved and he died. I didn't know there was a Brieen daughter. You can't be a Brieen." Her voice gained an edge.

"Applegate is my mom's name," Deni said quickly. "And Brieen doesn't ring a bell."

"Mom must be a Squib." Bunny muttered as she walked away.

Confused, Deni just stood there. She never thought her feet were big nor had she been told that. She was the shortest kid in her class and she got the yellow eye thing from her mother. Squib was probably one of those wizard words she'd learn in a few days.

And why didn't the 'last Brieen' have a first name or children. These people didn't sound like the type of people who let family names die. And there was that 'Follower's End' again. What did it mean? That teacher from Conway Ridge said it without a second thought, but the girls here had to make sure no one was around and then whispered it.

That was just plain weird. Why could three people act completely different when they were talking about the same thing? Most people she knew had relatively similar opinions. Archibald Fenderson used it like a taboo that scared people. Cris had ignored her questions. Prudence treated it like a folk tale.

A bell rang and Deni blinked. "Somebody put an Immobilization Spell on you?" Someone yelled in her direction. "You're gonna be late if you don't move, kid!"

Deni ran into the main building and up the stairs. She slid into the classroom the rest of the six graders where sitting in, out of breath.

"Deniella?" the young woman at the front of the room asked.

"Yes, ma'am." She slid into an empty desk.

"You're late." The teacher had no readable expression on her face.

"I know, ma'am." Deni pulled out her book and pen out of her bag.

A smile formed on the teacher's lips. "Don't do it again, okay?"

She nodded fiercely.

"Where were we?" the teacher asked the class. "Ah, yes, Chapter One, Why We Study History. Any opinions?" The class was silent. "Come on girls!" She yelled. "Think, ladies, think!"

Alberta raised her hand and whispered a response.

"Louder, Alberta!"

"To learn from our mistakes," she replied, louder then before, but not as loud as the teacher.

"And what are those mistakes?"

The girls all mumbled and Deni just stared at her book. She thumbed thru it, looking for the answer.

"That it's!" The teacher grabbed the book away from the student closest to her and dropped in on the floor. "I hate teaching from books! Let's just talk today!"

Most of the girls slowly slid their books back into their bags. Shocked, Deni followed suit.

"Rae!" she addressed a tall girl in the back. "What do you think?"

"Well," Rae muttered, "I think—maybe—the British Civil Wars?"

"Is that an answer or a question?"

"An answer?"

"Cristen!" the teacher pointed at Deni's friend. "What did we learn from the BCW's?"

"That the discriminatory opinions of a small group of people can be forced on the public!" she yelled back. Cris was the first of the girls to answer in the same tone as the teacher.

The teacher looked at Deni. "What about you, Deniella? What do you think?" She sat on the edge on the desk. "What in history can we learn from?"

"I do—I don't know," she stammered. "I haven't heard much about magical history yet."

"What have you heard?" Her voice grew soft. "Start with anything."

She thought for a moment, "The Ash Conspiracy? I think somebody said that once."

"You mean The Ash Brieen Movement, right?"

"I don't know," she replied.

"Brieen?" one of the triplets asked, "As in the last Brieen? His name was Ash?"

The teacher smiled warily. "Yes, it is. The Nation likes to keep it a secret."

"Why?" Deni asked "It's just a name. Calling it the Ash Conspiracy makes sound like Ash is the last name, not the first."

"Very good, Deniella." The teacher paused and picked up the book she had dropped on the floor. "I think that's enough non-approved material for today. You all better get your books for the next class." As the girls filed out of the room, she yelled, "Read Chapter One!"

Most of Deni's classes went by without problems, but she decided she didn't like Transfiguration or the teacher, Mrs. Maybes.

"Applegate, huh?" she asked as Deni entered.

"Yeah." She slid into a seat.

"I hope you better at Transfiguration then James. He was horrible back when I taught at Diamond Back."

"I don't know James."

"Are you sure, Applegate?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'm expecting more out of you then the other girls, anyway," Miss Maybes said simply.

The sixth graders' last class was Physical Education and it wasn't actually taught by a teacher. After the girls had dressed down, Bunny Howell led them into the cleared out cafeteria. "Hi, sixies. What up?"

"The ceiling," Amy Eagle retorted.

Bunny looked at Eagle, confused. "Huh?"

"The ceiling." The girl pointed at the roof. "It's above our heads."

"Whatever." Bunny walked up to Deni. "Hey, Deniella. Got anything to show me?"

Deni shock her head. "Nope."

"Are you sure? That mortal school of yours didn't teach you anything athletic?"

"I can do flips and stuff, but there aren't any mats on the floor. What if I get hurt?"

Bunny pointed her wand at the floor. "Don't tell anyone," she whispered.

"_My friend is scared of falling down_

_And landing on her crown_

_Make the floor like a mat_

_So she can land like a cat._

"There you go, Deniella," Bunny said, putting her wand back in her pocket.

Deni looked at the floor. It didn't look any different. She pulled off her tennis shoes, and noticed it didn't feel any different either. "Did it work?"

"Try it out."

Deni stepped back, clearing some space. She put her hands on the floor, and swung her feet into the air. Flipping them over her body, she left the floor and landed on her feet. The floor _did_ have a little bit of give, but not as much as mats at a gym.

"That's cool!" one of her classmates yelled from the other side of the room. "Can you do that again?"

"I—I don't know," she muttered, reaching for her shoes. "I'm not sure it's allowed.

"Come on, Deni," Cris said, skidding to stop beside her. "We might as well have fun. They can't give us any more detentions." She took Deni's shoes. "You can do more then that, right?"

Deni nodded. "Okay. I need some space." She stretched as she walked to the far end of the large room. At a run, she did several front flips. She stumbled slightly as she landed, but nearly everyone cheered.

Deni noticed that two of the Garden girls, Amy Eagle, and a dark-skinned girl had their arms across their chests and were glowering at her. Amy yelled from the other side, "Why'd you have to show off, Johnny Appleseed?"

"What's your problem?" Cris demanded.

"It's Applegate!" Deni retorted, walking toward her slowly. "Even the bullies at my elementary school knew better then to call me that." She pushed the hair out of her eyes. "Do you even know who Johnny Appleseed was? Because I think he'd be offended that some like you was using his name as a badly-placed insult."

Amy blinked. "Um, whatever, Applegate."

Before Deni or Cris could say something, Howell stepped between the different groups. "Come on, Amy, Cristen, Deniella," she said half-heartedly. "That isn't the Northland sprit."

"I'd rather be at CRA," the Garden on the left muttered.

"Ginger!" her sister gasped.

"Merlin, Thyme, you're worse—" Deni snorted. "What is _so _funny, Applegate?"

Deni gave a small hiccup. "Your names. I'm sorry, but…" she sighed. "Your parents really needed to buy a baby name book."

Cris smirked. "What's your brother's name? Oregano?"

The class broke out in laughter.

"Actually," the third Garden yelled over the others, laughing too. "It is!"

Prudence put her hand over her mouth, but a giggle escaped her mouth. She mumbled an apology.

Cris gestured to Prudence. "See," she said, in a matter-of-fact tone. "Even Hill People think it's funny."

Deni stepped back, as Cris and Ginger Garden glared at each other. Deni didn't see who knew the first punch.

"What in the name of Albus Dumbledore is going on in here?"


	4. Chapter 4

Miss Dowling stood there, glaring at the trio.

"She started it!" Cris and Ginger pulled apart, pointing at each other.

"I have my own suspicions," Dowling said, turning to Deni. "Applegate?"

Deni looked up at her, but didn't speak. The Student Director obviously didn't like her.

"Well, Applegate? We're waiting."

Deni blinked. "I didn't see who threw the first punch, but I guess you could say I started it if you wanted to. I mean, I already have detention."

"Deni!" Cris gasped in disbelief. "Are you nuts?"

Deni shook her head. "I'm not. I _am_ responsible." she muttered. "I'm the one that showed off."

Dowling pressed her foot down. "Who cast a Cushioning Charm on the floor?" she asked, surprisingly calm. "Miss Howell?"

Bunny shrugged. "It was cast when I got here," she lied. "You can check my wand." She handed it too the teacher.

"_Prior Incantato_." An image appeared above it and Dowling nodded. "Fine, that's fine. Applegate, if you will?"

Deni blinked repeatedly. "Okay," she said slowly. "But I haven't cast any spells yet."

Dowling cast the spell on Deni's wand and a clear bubble appeared above it. "Why did you need a Bubble Head Charm?"

"A what?" Deni asked.

The girls all laughed. "Now, now." Deni noticed Dowling was fighting a smirk herself. "Don't laugh at Applegate's ignorance. It's not her fault."

Deni took time to look at everyone. The only one not laughing was Prudence. She was frowning and messing with the edge of her apron. She made eye contact with Deni, slowly shaking her head in Cris' direction.

Cris had doubled over in laughter and was smiling. Deni bit her lip. Her first friend had been too good to be true. "I'm not stupid," she muttered.

"No one said you were stupid, sweetie." Miss Mission entered. "Could you come with me please?"

"Have I done something wrong, ma'am?"

"No, sweetie." Mission put a hand on her shoulder. "There's something you need to know."

Mission led her out of the cafeteria/gym, and fell silent. As they walked up the stairs, she slowed to match Deni's steps.

Deni stared at both sets of shoes and had to hold back a laugh. The teacher was wearing sneakers and they were a brand Deni knew. In fact, she had the exact same pair back in the dorms.

The headmistress' office was different then Deni would have imagined. Everything was white with clean stainless steel. Selves floated magically above a desk. Deni slid into one of the white plastic chairs. "Miss Miss—" she started to say.

"Deniella, sweetie, I think you might want to go home for a few weeks."

"Huh?" She blinked, having not expected it. "I'm not sick. I haven't been to the doctor either."

"I received a message from your mother about an hour ago. She says it's your choice, but," she paused. "Your stepfather is being sent overseas."

"Oh," Deni said slowly. "Don't they usually give more notice?"

Mission smiled sympathetically. "He'll be leaving in two months, dear, but you can't leave in the middle of a term. You won't miss as much school work this way. Do you understand, sweetie?"

"Does Mommy need me? Or can I wait 'til the weekend? I don't everyone to think I'm scared of being a wizard."

Someone knocked on Mission's door. "One moment, Archibald! I'm still explaining the situation!"

After a moment, Deni managed to say, "What's really going on here?"

"Your stepfather really is being sent to the Middle East in October, sweetie, but if you leave you won't be able to come back to NGS. It has been brought to my attention that Conway Ridge Academy of the Magical Arts has shown some interest in your magical abilities.

"The school year at Conway Ridge doesn't start for a few more weeks and, as I'm sure you noticed, their principal is standing outside this very office."

Deni pulled away her hand. "Ma'am, how did Mom get in contact with you?"

"Bea, your mother, can be a very convincing actress."

Deni couldn't understand what she meant. "You know my mother?"

"Rain!" Fenderson yelled from the other side of the door. "I don't have all afternoon!"

"Of course you don't! Go ahead and come in!"

Deni stood quickly as the door opened. "Sit down," Fenderson ordered.

Deni didn't move. "Should I go over to the study hall Miss Mission?" She kept her eyes on Fenderson, struggling to keep her face blank. Fenderson hadn't seemed very nice the first time she met him but she didn't want to show her fear.

"Not yet, Deniella. But if you would please sit back down."

"Yes, ma'am." She slid back into her seat, still staring emotionlessly at Fenderson.

"It is unfortunate that your stepfather will be temporarily leaving your family," he said, his tone lacking sympathy. "But the Nation is willing to make this as easy for you as we can."

"Thank you, sir." She kept her face as calm as possible. "But I don't want to be a burden to any body."

"It's not a hassle. We take care of our own."

"But I'm a Mudblood."

The teachers shared a glance. "Deniella," Mission said softly. "Principal Fenderson and I took some time to look into your heritage. I will be honest, we were surprised."

Fenderson attempted to smile. "You and your siblings are very lucky children."

"Thanks?" Deni didn't understand his statement.

"Did you know your mother has been married once before?" he asked, losing the fake gentleness.

"Sir?"

"Archibald, please. Don't be too direct. We don't even know his name—or if he's even a wizard. You can't expect her to know who he is."

Deni sat there, watching in half-amusement half-horror. They _had_ to be talking about her father. There were no other possibilities.

"We lost track of Bea when she would have been three. She may have some memories."

"But a name? Archie, she's ten, a child. You're not in the Corp anymore. You can't interrogate her."

"Um, ma'am? Sir?" Deni tried to interrupt them.

"She seems pretty bright."

"But there's no guarantee that this man—whoever he is—is even their father. All three could have different fathers."

Deni blinked. "Johnny's my twin. We can't have different fathers."

Both the teachers turned, looking as if they hadn't realized she had been standing there. "It has even happened with Muggles, Deniella. It's not common, but with people who have certain life styles it can."

"Are you calling my mom something bad?"

Mission smiled apologetically. "I did not mean it that way. I was just explaining the concept."

"Oh, sorry, ma'am. Can you contact my mom?"

"Yes, of course, but why? You'll be seeing her a few days."

"No I won't. I'm staying here."

"Hey, Den," Cris said, as Deni walked into detention a few minutes later.

Not looking at her classmate, Deni slid into a desk in the far back corner of the room and opened her Transfiguration book. She didn't want to look at anyone.

"Applegate, detention is a punishment," Dowling said from the front of the room. "You're not allowed to study. You just sit here quietly."

"Yes, ma'am." Deni put her book back and leaned on her palms. The white board had detention written on it in in big color-changing letters and a list of names written in black:

DETENTION:

Deniella Applegate, 6th

Amy Eagle, 6th

Cristen Malloy, 6th

Candy Greene, 7th

Pita Rogers, 10th

Kin Black, 11th

SIT DOWN! SHUT UP!

Just as Deni finished reading the board, the last student entered. The girl was wearing a sweatshirt with the words 'Northland Girls' School JV Quidditch' written on it. The back identified her as Rogers, one of the Beaters. Sour-faced, she sat down.

Deni couldn't believe that six girls had already gotten detention on the first day of classes. Especially the upperclassmen and Quidditch players. She thought that sports were a symbol of respect, not rebellion. Deni blinked, wiping the surprise off her face.

Bunny Howell entered five minutes in, angry faced. "Pita, what are you doing in here? How'd you get detention?"

The girl muttered. Dowling looked up from her work and stood. She picked up the white board marker. Adding Bunny's name to the list, she said, "Miss Howell, take a seat."

"What? I haven't done anything!"

"You've interrupted my detention. Now, sit down, or I'll ask Coach Hug to suspend both of you."

Both Quidditch players groaned but Bunny walked down the isle of desks and sat down next to Deni. "Hey, Applegate."

Deni didn't look away from the board but made a non-commitmental head gesture.

"You in here for fighting with those other sixies?"

Deni didn't look at Bunny; she just stared at the front wall.

"What's wrong? You talked during class."

Deni didn't even blink.

"Howell!" Dowling yelled from the front. "You're a senior! Can't you read?"

"Yes, ma'am, I can."

"Then you'd better read a page from Applegate's book. SHUT UP!"

Bunny blinked and made a zipper motion across her lips.

Twenty-five minutes later, all but Bunny left. Cris stopped Deni by grabbing her arm. "Did I do some thing?"

Deni didn't answer and just kept walking toward the stairs. She adjusted her bag and started down them.

"What's your problem, Den?" Cris grabbed Deni's upper arm.

Deni started down the stairs, and her arm slipped out of Cris' hand. She quickly headed down the stairs, weaving in and out of students, going both up and down. She stopped on the first floor, skidding slightly.

"Running in halls, Deniella?"

Deni turned to see the history teacher smiling at her. "No, ma'am," she replied. "Technically, I was running on the stairs."

"Good." The teacher pointed at a sigh on the wall. It was a picture of a little stick figure in a pointed hat running with a red line thru it. **No Running in the Halls**, it said. "I didn't want to have to give you detention. And it's Miss Flannery."

"I just got out of detention."

"I can imagine what that's like." The teacher laughed. "It's my first year of teaching. I'm nineteen. Can you tell, Deniella?"

Deni shook her head. "No," she lied.

"Dang, that girl can run," Deni heard Cris say, as if she was out of breath. "How does she do that?"

"I gotta go, Miss Flannery." Deni looked over her shoulder, expecting Cris to be standing there.

"Go ahead." Deni started speed walking out of the building. "No running!" Flannery called after her.

Once outside, Deni walked to the six grade dorms. Placing her bag on her bed, she ran her fingers thru her hair.

"Like that's going help, Mudblood." Eagle shook her head.

"Hi, to you too, Amy." Deni sat on her bed and pulled out her Transfiguration book. "Are you going to study too?"

"Studying is for goody two-shoe losers."

Deni looked at Amy in disbelief. No one had been this mean to her back at Vale Elementary. "Amy, I'm not sure what you mean."

"Look, Applegate, you're not going to be good at magic. I can tell by looking at you." Amy sat on the bed across from Deni. "It's sad really, how pathetic you look. Bad hair, weird eyes and you've got big feet."

Deni studied her feet for moment. Amy was the second person to mention her having large feet since she got to Northland. She wore a size eight narrow, which didn't seem big to her at all. Sure, she had to get new shoes every few months when she was younger, but that didn't mean she had big feet.

"I mean, ya do seem pretty nice, but don't try so hard, tootsie, it makes it obvious."

Amy had a Southern accent that Deni hadn't noticed in PE. "Thanks for the advice, Amy."

"Don't you dare mention it," she replied, loosing her accent. "If any one knows I'm Oil-Land Working Class, I'm deader then a mole cat."

"Secret's safe with me, Amy." Deni opened her book. "If you don't tell anyone I like studying."

Amy nodded. "Best thing you can do is study before anyone comes back. I'll try to keep the Gardens and Carter busy."

Deni walked back to the main building at diner time. She sat down at an empty table. The floor was solid again and no one was staring at her. They were all reading some magazine. One the cover was a young man with curly, black, close-cropped hair. _James…Brieen? _It boasted. _The secrets Quidditch's young heartthrob has been keeping from us._

All the girls were talking about it. "I can't believe it!" Bunny Howell said. "He's so not a Brieen! I've met him! He's nice not evil!"

"You have not met James Applegate," her friend replied. "He wouldn't like you."

"I told you I'm being recruited by the Otters as a reserve Seeker. I went to a few of their practices over the summer. He did seem a little distracted, though."

"How so?"

"He was sad. Every time an owl would show up he'd look all hopeful, but they were never for him. I don't know what he was waiting for."

Something squawked in front of Deni. An owl had dropped an envelope in her potatoes and gravy. She smiled at the messenger bird and grabbed the envelope. "Go it. Thanks." It flew off as she started to open it. It was hand written.

_To the person who's name is written on this envelope,_

_I'm not signing this because I don't know who's reading over your shoulder. I don't have many memories of you, and you probably don't even know who I am yet. I'm in a bit of a JAM right now, mostly becausE our heritage is under inveStigation. I don't know if you reAlize it yet, but somebody in Nation seems to think we're imPortant. I'm Probably just scared of nothing, but it heLps to share this secret. You don't nEed to write me back, but it would be GreAT if you could._

_E. _

Deni almost verbalized her confusion. This E person wasn't very good at knowing when to capitalize things. He, it seemed like something a guy would write, had nice hand writing. He said he wasn't going to sign it, but there, at the bottom of the page was the letter E. She tucked the letter back into the gravy covered envelope, ate quickly and walked back to the dorms.

"What do you think it means, Blake?"

The white squirrel didn't even look at her. He was busy chewing on a cracker. Something on it fell onto the letter.

"Is this grape jelly?" she asked, putting it on her finger. "Where'd you get it?"

Of course Blake didn't answer but the substance got Deni thinking. The word jam was written in all capitals. Jam because investigation realize nation important probably helps need great e. It didn't make any sense until Deni realized that Nation was a proper noun and that the capitals probably spelled something. JAM-E-S-A-P-P-L-E-G-A-T-E. _James Applegate? _She thought in surprise. _I thought we weren't related._ She started to pen a similar response.

_E,_

_My name was written on the front of the envelope, but I'm not sure if you know it. I Don't know if I'm doing this right, but I'm trying. I hopE you doN't mInd mE asking you a few questions. Do you know about the others? WiLL you contact them too?_

_A._

An owl, Deni noticed that it may have been the same one, was sitting on the window sill. She folded the letter, walked but to the bird and ask, "You know E?" The bird nodded and Deni blinked in surprise. "Can you take this to him?"

It took the letter in its beak and eyed Blake. Deni imagined it thinking _Dinner._

"No, Blake is not food. Go already."

Deni was sitting in History the next Monday. Miss Flannery had given the class a worksheet and left the room "for a few moments, if I hear anything, I am giving the one talking detention." Then she winked, because everyone knew she wouldn't. The worksheet was just vocabulary from Chapter One. Deni finished it in a matter of minutes. Then, with a look from Eagle, started scribbling on her paper.

Within half an hour, Miss Flannery was back. She picked up the papers, and as she passed Deni's desk, put something in Deni's hand. Deni looked up at her, but the teacher didn't even look at her. Deni unfolded it.

_A,_

_I'm sure you now know that I know your History teacher. Don't worry, she's just a friend. Thank you for writing back. I have told about J and L, but I was also ordered to only contact you. Apparently, J's a trouble maker and L is eight. They're not ready (according to my source) and that you're kind of a big deal. Something about not going home and giving up a scholarship to CRA? I've personally never heard of such a blatant case of parental disobedience. I'm sure it happens all the time in the Muggle world, but it's unheard of in most Nation Camps._

_You probably don't know what a Camp is yet. That's eighth grade government stuff. The Camps are the different cultural and political groups. You've probably met a few East-Coaster Transplants and Pacific Conservatives (I like calling them Wannabe East-Coasters). Our father's a Native East-Coaster but I consider myself to be like our mother's family, a Western Rocky Gypsy. It means I'll live any place west of the Rockies and I don't have any political foundation. You'll learn about all that later._

_Your identity will probably be leaked within a few weeks, and I hope you don't get too much heat for it. If you do, I'll come to your rescue (under the pretenses of officially telling Bunny Howell she made the team, you heard it straight from your brother's mouth)._

Deni stopped reading there. James Applegate was her brother? She folded the paper back up and slid it into her bag. The heat rose to her face in a matter of seconds. "Deniella?" Miss Flannery asked from up front. "You okay?"

Deni was so surprised, she couldn't speak. She felt herself turning pale. _I have another brother. My whole life is a lie. An older brother. My whole life is a lie. _Her breathing grew shallow. _I'm not really a Mudblood. My whole life is a lie. Lie. Lie. Lie._

"Earth to Deni!" Cris Malloy yelled. "Come in Deni!"

Deni blinked. "Sorry," she said, voice shaking. "Just got distracted."


End file.
